Later
by A. Zap
Summary: Neither of them were sure how exactly it started, but it soon became something they always said. "Thank me later!" White Rose Week Day 7: "Thank me later"


Weiss wasn't sure which of them actually started it.

* * *

"Thank me later!" Weiss called out as Ruby tried to stammer out some thanks after Weiss had taken out the Ursa that'd been bearing down on her while her back had been turned. It was practically an order, because they really didn't have time for pleasantries.

Ruby blinked and nodded, her expression once more falling into determination as she threw herself back into the fray.

* * *

Maybe it didn't really matter who had started it. All Weiss knew was that it quickly became a thing.

* * *

Weiss was just barely dodging the White Fang member's tentacle arms. Considering she'd seen a civilian faint just by being brushed by them, she did not want to get hit by that.

In the corner of her peripheral vision, Weiss saw a flash of peach, too quick for her to dodge from an angle she hadn't been able to see before now. She braced herself, even as she fended off two other tentacles.

A sudden gunshot destroyed the approaching tentacle and pain made the others curl back, giving Weiss just enough time to freeze them in place.

Weiss looked up to see Ruby grinning on top of some crates, her gun barrel still smoking slightly as she switched back into scythe mode. "Thank me later!" She yelled before she was gone in a swirl of petals.

Weiss hid her smile even as she took on another group of opponents.

* * *

In some ways, it was a sign that they would always have each others' backs.

* * *

Weiss and Ruby fought back to back, their movements forming a circle as they took out Grimm after Grimm after Grimm.

That all changed as a Nevermore snatched Ruby up, startling a shriek from her.

Weiss didn't hesitate before she summoned her Knight to toss her up right after Ruby and she left him to take care of the Grimm on the ground. Ruby didn't really need her help, actually using the added height to snipe at the Grimm below, but Weiss was still the one who landed the final blow and she swiftly summoned her Queen Lancer to catch Ruby and herself as they fell back to Earth.

Ruby gave a breathy laugh. "Somehow you always end up catching me…" Her eyes sparkled even as she tried to regain her breath.

"Well, stop making it necessary." Weiss grumbled, even as she felt Ruby's arms latch around her waist. "And thank me later."

Ruby laughed again. "Yeah…" And then they dropped right back down into the fight, Weiss's summons providing all the back-up they needed until the others finally arrived.

* * *

Whether in battle or out of it, they'd always be there for each other.

* * *

Weiss just barely managed to hold back a scream as she jolted out of sleep. Her eyes darted around, taking in the dark room. However, despite the mundane appearance of the room, she couldn't quite shake off the nightmare.

Civilians running left and right from the Fall of Beacon as the Grimm moved in, the bodies left behind in that damned house forever asleep, her teammates soaked in blood as Salem laughed in the distance -

Weiss flinched and then relaxed slightly as she felt a pair of arms surround her and fingers thread through her hair.

"Shh, Weiss, it was just a dream…" Ruby's sleepy voice greeted her and Weiss felt her heart calm even as tears gathered in her eyes.

"Ruby, I - "

"It's okay." Ruby shushed her as she pulled her back down under the blankets. She snuggled into her side and Weiss welcomed her warmth. "Go back to sleep. You can thank me later."

Weiss heeded her words and somehow managed to fall back asleep, her breaths matching Ruby's, safe and sound.

* * *

For better or for worse.

* * *

Weiss dragged herself over to Ruby. Her limbs trembled as the final remnants of her aura drained away. She'd put everything she had left into making this barrier, and when it fell -

Well, they'd have bigger problems to deal with.

Weiss ignored her own wounds though, instead slapping her hands down on Ruby's largest wound, trying to still the flow of blood.

Ruby laughed. "Quick thinking there…" She didn't seem to be able to move and Weiss couldn't blame her. Between using her silver eyes and the usual heat of battle, Ruby had quickly exhausted herself and her injuries weren't helping.

"Shut up." Weiss ordered, but she was too tired herself for it to have the usual heat to it. "Yang and the others are on their way."

Ruby raised her hand, and Weiss winced as it brushed over one of her wounds. "You're bleeding."

"I know."

"Weiss… please… just - "

"If you're about to say what I think you're about to, I'll just tell you right now: Don't." Weiss ignored how much her head and side and leg hurt and how her hands were shaking more and more. "The others will get here, we'll win, and later you'll thank me and we'll all be fine."

Ruby blinked up at her, her expression turning thoughtful. "You know… we're always telling each other… to thank each other later… but we never… actually do that."

"Well, this time we will." And Weiss smiled, even as she heard the ice cracking.

Ruby smiled back.

"Of course, we will."

The barrier broke.

* * *

To Weiss, "Thank me later" was not only a sign of her first friend, her partner, the person she cared about most in the world, but also a reassurance that there would be a later.

* * *

"Hey, Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"It's finally later."

Two smiles, one big and bright, one small and gentle, both lovely in their own right, met each other as surely as their eyes did. Their hands entwined around each other as they laid next to each other, mindful of the other's bandages.

"Thank you, Weiss."

"Thank you, Ruby."

* * *

_AN: Five times they said "Thank me later" and the one time they actually said it._

_God, I just love couples who battle side-by-side. They are the best. Why wouldn't you want someone who you can trust both your heart and your life with?_

_And supportive battle couples who know that they can rely on the other to watch their back? To stick with them? That's the good stuff._

_Pretty much all the main couples in RWBY seem to have that, but I feel like it's a competition between Weiss/Ruby and Ren/Nora as to who's the best for battle couples._

_ (If you're wondering why Bumbleby is not on my list of best battle couples, it's because they are the Drama(TM) couple in this show. They just came off of several seasons where they were going through crap because they weren't there for each other and then it seemed like they didn't quite trust each other when they were really just being protective and yeah. So when they're good, they're great [as seen at the end of Vol. 6] but they haven't had the consistency of the other couples.)_


End file.
